One year after police killed Stephon Clark in his family’s backyard, law enforcement officials launched a different kind of assault on the 22-year-old.

They attacked his reputation and impugned his character.

Continue reading...]]>‘We don’t have anything’: the fight for survival after Cyclone Idaihttps://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/mar/21/we-dont-have-anything-the-fight-for-survival-after-cyclone-idai
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:05:41 +0000https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/mar/21/we-dont-have-anything-the-fight-for-survival-after-cyclone-idaiIn cities and villages across Mozambique the huge need for aid and assistance is not being met by a chaotic rescue effort

The main road connecting the cyclone-devastated Mozambican city of Beira to neighbouring Zimbabwe comes to an abrupt end. A section almost 100 metres wide is almost entirely underwater, an angry muddy gash where the tarmac was ripped away by the floods and raging currents.

A week after the onset of Cyclone Idai, as the waters have receded in some places, some of those trapped in villages in the midst of the flood waters have at last managed to get out with huge effort.

Continue reading...]]>In cities and villages across Mozambique the huge need for aid and assistance is not being met by a chaotic rescue effort

The main road connecting the cyclone-devastated Mozambican city of Beira to neighbouring Zimbabwe comes to an abrupt end. A section almost 100 metres wide is almost entirely underwater, an angry muddy gash where the tarmac was ripped away by the floods and raging currents.

A week after the onset of Cyclone Idai, as the waters have receded in some places, some of those trapped in villages in the midst of the flood waters have at last managed to get out with huge effort.

Continue reading...]]>Netanyahu tells Trump he has ‘made history’ with Golan movehttp://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/UKWorldNews/~3/xzwZCciZkWo/netanyahu-tells-trump-he-has-made-history-with-golan-move-idUKKCN1R223M
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:05:01 +0000http://www.dennisbenson.net/?guid=c959ee53a68ed865419772793520862f]]>U.S. sanctions two Chinese shippers over North Koreahttp://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/UKWorldNews/~3/p9ZBiUcoNlw/u-s-sanctions-two-chinese-shippers-over-north-korea-idUKKCN1R223K
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:03:31 +0000http://www.dennisbenson.net/?guid=6e9e75ad97dfe757f84bdfca99e47505]]>‘Mindblowing’ haul of fossils over 500m years old unearthed in Chinahttps://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/21/mindblowing-haul-of-fossils-over-500m-years-old-unearthed-in-china
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:00:14 +0000https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/21/mindblowing-haul-of-fossils-over-500m-years-old-unearthed-in-chinaThousands of fossils date back to huge burst in diversity of life on Earth known as Cambrian explosion

A “mindblowing” haul of fossils that captures the riot of evolution that kickstarted the diversity of life on Earth more than half a billion years ago has been discovered by researchers in China.

Paleontologists found thousands of fossils in rocks on the bank of the Danshui river in Hubei province in southern China, where primitive forms of jellyfish, sponges, algae, anemones, worms and arthropods with thin whip-like feelers were entombed in an ancient underwater mudslide.

Continue reading...]]>Thousands of fossils date back to huge burst in diversity of life on Earth known as Cambrian explosion

A “mindblowing” haul of fossils that captures the riot of evolution that kickstarted the diversity of life on Earth more than half a billion years ago has been discovered by researchers in China.

Paleontologists found thousands of fossils in rocks on the bank of the Danshui river in Hubei province in southern China, where primitive forms of jellyfish, sponges, algae, anemones, worms and arthropods with thin whip-like feelers were entombed in an ancient underwater mudslide.

Idai first hit Mozambique on 4 March as a tropical depression with torrential rain that also affected southern Malawi. It then changed course, moving back over the sea where the storm strengthened to a cyclone with the equivalent force of a category 3 hurricane.

Continue reading...]]>EU offers Brexit delay to May, steps up pressure on Londonhttp://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/UKDomesticNews/~3/Ik1EzKo_6ic/eu-offers-brexit-delay-to-may-steps-up-pressure-on-london-idUKKCN1R12Y2
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:53:52 +0000http://www.dennisbenson.net/?guid=b47fbb7e48817c99a3ce5aa823dab0a0]]>Leaders in the north: HS2 is vital for our growth | Lettershttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/21/leaders-in-the-north-hs2-is-vital-for-our-growth
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:52:14 +0000https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/21/leaders-in-the-north-hs2-is-vital-for-our-growthSteve Rotheram, metro mayor of Liverpool, says it will be a game-changer for his city and region

HS2 is a once-in-two-century chance to rebalance the UK economy. It isn’t just about creating links to London. There are over 25 stops from Scotland to the south-east. It increases desperately needed capacity on existing lines, creating more space for extra commuter trains. It takes lorries off the road as freight moves to rail, creating more space for the driver on our motorways. There is something in HS2 for every traveller.

The report by the New Economics Foundation (Scrap HS2 and pour £56bn into regions, says thinktank, 20 March) ignores what cities including Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham have all been doing to make sure we benefit. Altogether, cities around the route have plans to create nearly 500,000 jobs, 100,000 new homes and add billions to the economy of the country. Poor connections between our major cities have been holding us back for far too long. Together HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect will give us the links that will unleash investment and bring prosperity to the Midlands and the north.

Continue reading...]]>Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of Liverpool, says it will be a game-changer for his city and region

HS2 is a once-in-two-century chance to rebalance the UK economy. It isn’t just about creating links to London. There are over 25 stops from Scotland to the south-east. It increases desperately needed capacity on existing lines, creating more space for extra commuter trains. It takes lorries off the road as freight moves to rail, creating more space for the driver on our motorways. There is something in HS2 for every traveller.

The report by the New Economics Foundation (Scrap HS2 and pour £56bn into regions, says thinktank, 20 March) ignores what cities including Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham have all been doing to make sure we benefit. Altogether, cities around the route have plans to create nearly 500,000 jobs, 100,000 new homes and add billions to the economy of the country. Poor connections between our major cities have been holding us back for far too long. Together HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and Midlands Connect will give us the links that will unleash investment and bring prosperity to the Midlands and the north.

Quite apart from the implication that we were acting irresponsibly in doing so, the failure to explain to your readers that we did not show any clips of violence creates a misleading impression that we published graphic video of shootings or propaganda.

Quite apart from the implication that we were acting irresponsibly in doing so, the failure to explain to your readers that we did not show any clips of violence creates a misleading impression that we published graphic video of shootings or propaganda.

Continue reading...]]>Let’s see more of the Bristol stool chart | Brief lettershttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/21/lets-see-more-of-the-bristol-stool-chart
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:51:46 +0000https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/21/lets-see-more-of-the-bristol-stool-chartIt’s good to see the Bristol stool chart being mentioned in the national press (Pass notes, G2, 19 March). I first came across it in the cardiac unit in Bristol, six months after spending many days in the colorectal ward of the Royal United hospital in Bath. If I had seen it six months before, I might have avoided a major op. Why isn’t this chart displayed in hospital loos throughout the NHS? The information on it could result in earlier diagnosis of many illnesses.Peggy ThomasHebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

• Is unemployment really at a 44-year low (Report, 20 March)? Is this not comparing figures reflecting the continued use of the dozens of ways Mrs Thatcher found to manipulate the statistics downwards with the earlier unmanipulated counts?Richard WilkinsonEmeritus professor of social epidemiology, University of Nottingham

Continue reading...]]>It’s good to see the Bristol stool chart being mentioned in the national press (Pass notes, G2, 19 March). I first came across it in the cardiac unit in Bristol, six months after spending many days in the colorectal ward of the Royal United hospital in Bath. If I had seen it six months before, I might have avoided a major op. Why isn’t this chart displayed in hospital loos throughout the NHS? The information on it could result in earlier diagnosis of many illnesses.Peggy ThomasHebden Bridge, West Yorkshire

• Is unemployment really at a 44-year low (Report, 20 March)? Is this not comparing figures reflecting the continued use of the dozens of ways Mrs Thatcher found to manipulate the statistics downwards with the earlier unmanipulated counts?Richard WilkinsonEmeritus professor of social epidemiology, University of Nottingham

Or as one minister put it of May: “no fucking plan, nothing”. “One day there will be a public inquiry,” another member of the government observed, “and she will be judged to have been unfit for office.” Meanwhile, in the most ambitious crossover event since Avengers: Infinity War, the CBI and the TUC have put out a joint plea to Theresa May to return to at least the same postcode as her senses.

Or as one minister put it of May: “no fucking plan, nothing”. “One day there will be a public inquiry,” another member of the government observed, “and she will be judged to have been unfit for office.” Meanwhile, in the most ambitious crossover event since Avengers: Infinity War, the CBI and the TUC have put out a joint plea to Theresa May to return to at least the same postcode as her senses.

The UK will oppose motions criticising rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza that are brought to the UN’s human rights council under a special procedure dedicated to Israel’s behaviour in the occupied territories, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The move is likely to delight the Trump administration, which quit the human rights council in June last year, citing its approach to Israel. It also appears aimed at cementing the Conservative party’s relations with pro-Israel sections of the British Jewish community at a time when the Labour party is mired in criticism of its handling of antisemitism complaints.

Continue reading...]]>Policy will be to vote against claims of rights abuses by Israel brought under special protocol

The UK will oppose motions criticising rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza that are brought to the UN’s human rights council under a special procedure dedicated to Israel’s behaviour in the occupied territories, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The move is likely to delight the Trump administration, which quit the human rights council in June last year, citing its approach to Israel. It also appears aimed at cementing the Conservative party’s relations with pro-Israel sections of the British Jewish community at a time when the Labour party is mired in criticism of its handling of antisemitism complaints.

Donald Trump has announced that the US will recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967, in a dramatic move likely to bolster Benjamin Netanyahu’s hopes to win re-election, but which will also provoke international opposition.

Previous US administrations have treated Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory, in line with UN security council resolutions. Trump declared his break with that policy in a tweet.

Donald Trump has announced that the US will recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in 1967, in a dramatic move likely to bolster Benjamin Netanyahu’s hopes to win re-election, but which will also provoke international opposition.

Previous US administrations have treated Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory, in line with UN security council resolutions. Trump declared his break with that policy in a tweet.

Teachers in primary schools in Kent have been told they may have to suspend classes and “adopt a carer role” in the event of disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit.

They have also been advised by local authorities to check on food supplies and warned that public transport and school coaches could be affected if there is “panic buying” of fuel, according to a document seen by the Guardian.

Continue reading...]]>Teachers told they may have to ‘adopt carer role’ if traffic stops parents picking children up

Teachers in primary schools in Kent have been told they may have to suspend classes and “adopt a carer role” in the event of disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit.

They have also been advised by local authorities to check on food supplies and warned that public transport and school coaches could be affected if there is “panic buying” of fuel, according to a document seen by the Guardian.

Continue reading...]]>Brexit: Military steps up preparations in case of no dealhttp://news.sky.com/story/brexit-military-steps-up-preparations-in-case-of-no-deal-11671941
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:15:00 +0000http://news.sky.com/story/brexit-military-steps-up-preparations-in-case-of-no-deal-11671941Labour’s been mocked for calling for an election. Now it’s the only way out | Owen Joneshttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/21/labour-general-election-tories-brexit
Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:08:51 +0000https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/21/labour-general-election-tories-brexitWe are being trolled by a prime minister who is prepared to drive a nation into the abyss to preserve the cohesion of the Conservative party. Like a partner who perennially hints at a romantic three-course meal and a possible popping of the question, only to serve up beans on toast, Theresa May’s latest national address was a huge anticlimax. She provided no exit routes out of a building she has set alight, merely attacking a parliament she forced the electorate to vote for less than two years previously.

It is the most basic statement of political reality to say that Britain’s national crisis has been manufactured by the Conservatives, but it’s one that needs repeating in a media environment rigged in favour of the right. A generation-long Tory power struggle and the disastrous attempts to navigate it by David Cameron and his successor have brought Britain to its knees. The narrative over the coming days will be that the onus is on Labour to accept May’s deal – a deal both remainers and leavers are united in judging to be terrible – or condemn Britain to no deal.

Continue reading...]]>We are being trolled by a prime minister who is prepared to drive a nation into the abyss to preserve the cohesion of the Conservative party. Like a partner who perennially hints at a romantic three-course meal and a possible popping of the question, only to serve up beans on toast, Theresa May’s latest national address was a huge anticlimax. She provided no exit routes out of a building she has set alight, merely attacking a parliament she forced the electorate to vote for less than two years previously.

It is the most basic statement of political reality to say that Britain’s national crisis has been manufactured by the Conservatives, but it’s one that needs repeating in a media environment rigged in favour of the right. A generation-long Tory power struggle and the disastrous attempts to navigate it by David Cameron and his successor have brought Britain to its knees. The narrative over the coming days will be that the onus is on Labour to accept May’s deal – a deal both remainers and leavers are united in judging to be terrible – or condemn Britain to no deal.